Chivu reviews Inter’s 2025: ‘Ups and downs, we’re not perfect’

Cristian Chivu believes that Inter are on the right track for success, despite their recent Supercoppa Italiana disappointment, but has warned of the threat that Atalanta pose ahead of their meeting in Serie A on Sunday: ‘It’s never easy’. 

Inter sit at the top of the Serie A table after the 16th round of 2025-26 fixtures, but were eliminated from the Supercoppa Italiana after a penalty shoot-out defeat by Bologna in Riyadh in their most recent outing. 

Now looking to bounce back and extent their lead at the top of the Serie A standings, Chivu says that his side will have to be wary of the threats that Raffaele Palladino’s side pose. 

“Games against Atalanta have always been tough. They built well under Gasperini and tried to maintain that same mentality that won them the Europa League. They’ve found continuity under Raffaele,” Chivu told the media during his pre-match press conference on Saturday.

“It’s never easy against Atalanta with their intensity, verticality and man-to-man defence. We have to be brave, win the second balls and try to be solid,” he continued. 

Chivu opted against going into details ahead of the January transfer window, which opens on the second of the month in Italy this year. 

“There are five or six days before the window opens. It’s difficult to talk about as a coach because he risks upsetting the players,” Chivu explained. “A coach will never be able to tell you what is missing or what they need, because that means that their team is not up to par. I’ll stop there, it’s never easy.” 

And when asked to give a personal review of the 2025 calendar year, the Inter coach said: “I never like to talk about myself. After the end of last season, there were a difficult few months at the beginning of this campaign, but we’ve done everything we can to put ourselves back on the right track. 

“There are ups and downs, and we are not perfect. We’re trying to improve, we’ve done some things well and others less well. We are trying to remove certain defects on a collective and individual level. The team has to keep the same ambition.” 

And what lies ahead for the Nerazzurri in their upcoming run of fixtures? 

“We have important games to play, some games that could define a season. For us, every game is important, that’s the mentality we need. We have to be the best version of ourselves. 

Chivu was asked whether he hopes to bring in a new wing-back to cover and eventually compete with the currently injured Denzel Dumfries, or whether Luis Henrique has done enough to earn a spot as the Dutchman’s trusted deputy. 

He said: “Players taking responsibility is important. Luis came here with a lot of pressure and every little detail is put under the magnifying glass. I haven’t thought that Luis Henrique hasn’t been up to par over the last few games, he’s tried to make a contribution. He may have lacked a bit of initiative, but from a tactical point of view, he didn’t do any less than any of his other teammates. 

“Denzel is obviously an important player. If I’m not mistaken, he scored 10 goals last year, but we shouldn’t judge Luis Henrique by his goals. He has quality.” 

Chivu was asked if there is any possibility he plays the out-of-favour Davide Frattesi out wide on the right, but the coach admits that this is an unlikely solution as things stand. 

“I’ve never thought about that. We’ve tried experiments with Carlos (Augusto) and Diouf, who can play in the role due to the physical characteristics that they have. We haven’t thought about playing Davide there. We’ve tried him as a second striker, but for various reasons, Davide has played less than he would have liked, but I can’t explain every reason. 

“We have a player like Luis Henrique to fill the role on the right, and he is doing quite well. Diouf gives us some other ideas when he takes over.” 

And on whether Hakan Calhanoglu or goalkeeper Josep Martinez might be in for a start on Sunday, Chivu said: “Calhanoglu has found a bit of continuity and is fine, available for tomorrow. As for Pepo (Martinez), he gave positive signs in the semi-final in Riyadh. We’ll see him again this month and in January.” 

Lastly, Chivu was asked how he feels after the Supercoppa Italiana disappointment. 

He said: “It’d be hypocritical for me to say that we’re happy. 

“Playing against Bologna hasn’t been easy in recent years. The performance was okay in the second half, I saw some good things, and a few other things to add. You don’t always win games by playing beautifully. You have to find the right balance and then add a little more.”